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Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Apps to help you this Lent

Welcome to Lent 2017, the 40 days start today Ash Wednesday.
I don't know about you but over the years I have tried to give up almost every vice, have tried to take up almost every good habit and tried endlessly to be more prayerful but almost always feel like a failure by the time Easter rolls along. And this year? Well I'm not giving up trying, but I'm being more practical about it and decided to find some tools to help me with the praying bit at least.

In this search for tools I gathered together a whole heap of apps which I'll be using in different ways. Some of these I use regularly as it is, some occasionally, some I had forgotten about and others I've just newly discovered. Anyway, now I have a list I thought it might be useful for others.

Daily Prayer appsPray as you go

Pray as you go is a daily prayer session, designed for use on portable devices, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst travelling to and from work, study, etc. find app here

Daily prayer from CofE

Find complete services for Morning, Evening and Night Prayer from the Church of England with this official Daily Prayer app. find app here

Time to pray from CofE

Time to Pray: Prayer During the Day from the Church of England provides a pattern of prayer and daily Bible reading that is simple yet profound. It will help you to create and enjoy a regular time with God during your day – whatever your lifestyle. find app hereReflections for lent 2017

Reflections for Lent offers a simple way to make space for Bible study and reflection from Ash Wednesday (2017) to Easter Saturday (2017). This standalone app provides a chance to try the readings from best-selling Reflections for Daily Prayer app for the season of Lent. find app hereLectionary

For each day of the church year, it presents the Common Worship lectionary readings in full, complete with dynamic links to the Bible passages themselves (NRSV translation). All approved variations are clearly presented, including the Additional Weekday Lectionary.find app hereDaily office

Daily Lent Prayers is an app which presents a series of prayers, one for each day of the Lenten period to help you grow in your relationship with God and to deepen your commitment to a way of life that stems from our baptism. In our busy world, Lent provides us with an opportunity to reflect upon our patterns, to pray more deeply, experience sorrow for what we've done and failed to do, and to be generous to those in need. find app here

Ignatius Prayer appsReimagining examen

Reimagining the Examen offers a unique prayer experience that’s tailored to your needs and mood. Each Examen, based on St. Ignatius’s 500-year-old prayer, guides you through a stimulating reflection on your day, helping you invite God into your nitty-gritty. Choose an Examen that matches your current state of being, or pray that day’s scheduled reflection. find app here

Sacred space

Spiritual freedom, a deeper relationship with Jesus, and finding God in all things are three basic precepts of Ignatian Spirituality. Sacred Space, a joint apostolate of the Irish Jesuits and Loyola Press, has dedicated itself to continuing the mission that Saint Ignatius began centuries ago. In 1999, Sacred Space went online, bringing faith to a new frontier of communication. Sacred Space expands the boundaries again with its new smartphone app. find app hereJesuit prayer

Jesuit Prayer is your one-stop shop for Ignatian Spirituality on the go. The founder of the Jesuits, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, created the Spiritual Exercises to deepen our relationship with Christ and to move our contemplation into service. Ignatian spirituality reminds us that God pursues us in the routines of our home and work life, and in the hopes and fears of life's challenges. find app here

Reflective, contemplative prayer appsReflections for Daily Prayer

This easy to use daily prayer app is based on the only Bible reading notes designed specifically for the Church of England by Church House Publishing. Following the Common Worship lectionary, the Reflections for Daily Prayer app allows you to read and reflect every day on the same passages as thousands of Anglicans worldwide. find app hereCentering prayer

Centering Prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience God's presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. This method of prayer is both a relationship with God and a discipline to foster that relationship. Centering Prayer is not meant to replace other kinds of prayer; rather it casts a new light and depth of meaning on them. Centering Prayer is an ancient method of Christian prayer adapted for modern times by Fathers Thomas Keating, William Meninger and Basil Pennington. find app hereChristian meditation and prayer

Christian Prayer and Meditation is a safe place for Christians to meditate through guided prayer and meditation while soaking in HIS presence! Christian Meditation through the Meditate on Me app is an easy way to connect and enter into the power and presence of God and is centered around Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. You will get great Christian teaching as you focus on God and His Word. find app here

And for the days when time is a luxury: 3 minute retreat

The 3-Minute Retreat, for a peaceful prayer experience that helps you re-connect with God, re-center your day, and relax, wherever you are. Every day, the app guides you on a new bite-sized retreat filled with Scripture passages, soothing music, and reflection questions that you can pray at your own pace. find app here

Just in case you wondered; I'm trying to give up hoarding and have committed to emptying one bag load of stuff from my life every day through lent; and I'm trying the rethink church photo a day again this year.